


Living Fossils (in Fine Feather)

by MassiveSpaceWren, Veldeia



Series: Captain America/Iron Man Bingo 2016 [4]
Category: Dinotopia - James Gurney, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Noir, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dinosaurs, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Broken Bones, Dinosaurs, Fanart, Floof, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov, Slow Build, mild Identity Porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7618633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/pseuds/MassiveSpaceWren, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veldeia/pseuds/Veldeia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the final year of the war, Captain America disappears on a mission, but instead of the ice, he ends up carried by dolphins to an island of living dinosaurs. As it happens, that's exactly where the adventuring inventor Tony Stark crash-landed on his airship when he went missing seven years earlier.</p><p>(Story can be read without any knowledge of Marvel Noir or Dinotopia; the POV character is Steve, who doesn't know anything about them, either!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living Fossils (in Fine Feather)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MassiveSpaceWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/gifts).



> This story wouldn't have happened if not for [MassiveSpaceWren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/), who shares my love of all things dinosaur-related, including Dinotopia, and did the cutest art for the story! <3 <3 <3
> 
> Beta thanks go to the awesome [antigrav_vector](http://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector) and the marvelous [morphia](http://archiveofourown.org/users/morphia/pseuds/morphia)!
> 
> This story fills the bingo prompt with a picture of the Avengers movie missing scene with Steve sketching.
> 
>  **Notes on canons:**  
>  As the tags imply, this is an ambiguous mishmash of different Avengers canons, cherry-picked as I please. Tony and his friends are mostly based on Noir, Steve (and Bucky) have nods towards 616, and there are plenty of MCU influences here and there. As for Dinotopia, the story is entirely based on James Gurney's first two books, Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time (1992) and Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995), and stays true to the books but for a few minor things. (Also, unlike in the books, the dinosaurs in this story have feathers, which is a more recent scientific discovery, but nowadays widely accepted.)
> 
>  **Notes on warnings:**  
>  Kind of spoilerish, but not like it's a new twist: there's no character death tags, because as you can guess, Bucky is not dead, though he doesn't show up in this story. That's something for a potential Part 2 that may or may not be written at some point.

  
  


  


* * *

  


"Leave it, Buck!" Steve yelled as loud as he could to make his voice heard over the rushing wind. "We have to jump before it goes off!"

It would be a desperate thing to do. There was nothing below them but sea, and hitting water from this height would be almost like smashing into solid rock. Even if they survived the fall, Steve had no clue how far the nearest shore might be. Still, it was a better alternative than being caught in the explosion. 

"I can do it, Cap!" Bucky shouted back from where he clung to the side of the cockpit, still intent on defusing the bombs. Damn the kid and his stubborn streak—

It was already too late. The first ear-splitting boom shattered all hopes of escape. As Steve let go and fell, he knew without a doubt that his valiant young companion was gone, and he would be soon to follow.

The pressure wave slammed into him, and everything went silent and dark.

*********

Steve woke up to the feeling of something warm, wet and slightly coarse against his cheek. He instantly thought it was a dog licking his face, but what he saw when he forced his leaden eyelids to open was no dog.

He must be dying and hallucinating.

He was certainly in enough pain to be dying; his ears were ringing so badly he couldn't hear a thing, he couldn't feel his left foot past the overwhelming agony at the thigh, and he could barely draw breath, even though his chest ached with the lack of air. He had fallen into the ocean. Maybe he was underwater. He did feel as if he were drowning.

The strange creature pulled back for a moment, its tongue disappearing into its wide mouth, and gazed at Steve almost tenderly.

It looked like no animal Steve had ever seen: lizard-like, but larger than any lizard known to man, covered in downy fuzz, and its snout shaped like the bill of a duck. Its dark eyes seemed soulful, almost intelligent. A monster, Steve thought. That was what it looked like. Something out of a fantastical story, or the pages of a pulp magazine.

Steve coughed, hoping desperately to clear his airways, but it only made the pain worse, and sent him gasping for breath that wouldn't come, until everything faded to black again.

*********

Steve woke up to the feeling of something soft, wet and wonderfully cool against his too hot skin, wiping across his forehead and sliding down the side of his face.

The monster, he thought, but as he opened his eyes, his blurry gaze found a man instead, one with a neatly trimmed dark mustache and beard, piercing blue eyes, and tanned skin that spoke of countless days under a bright sun. There was something vaguely familiar about him, as if Steve had seen those features before, but he could not recall when or where.

"Oh! You're awake!" the man exclaimed, visibly surprised, even startled. He sat back, lifting the cool cloth from Steve's face.

Unlike the monster, this man seemed quite real, and handsome though he was, Steve doubted this was what angels looked like—had he survived the fall after all? But how? He couldn't have been close to any inhabited shore when the plane exploded, and even if he had been, he'd certainly not been capable of rescuing himself.

He was still hurting. He could breathe better, but it felt like it took an inordinate amount of work, as if he couldn't quite get enough air no matter how hard he tried. He was dizzy, feverish, probably, and there was something very much not right with his left leg, varied pains, aches and pins and needles running along its length from thigh to toe. He felt a little disassociated from it all, which was probably a blessing.

There were so many questions Steve wanted to ask. Where was he? What had happened after the explosion? How had he survived? If he was alive, was Bucky here, as well? He barely dared to hope, but he had thought he would die for sure, himself, and he hadn't, so perhaps there was a chance.

The room around him didn't look like a hospital or a military installation. The bed was very soft, and he seemed to be wearing a silk dressing gown. The closed curtains to his left were made of a heavy red fabric decorated with embroidery, with the narrowest beam of sunlight escaping between them.

Steve cleared his throat, and started with "Where am I?" but the words came out wheezy and barely audible.

"Shh, don't try to speak yet. Just rest," the man told him soothingly.

Steve didn't really want to go back to sleep; he very much wanted to find out what had happened, but he was terribly tired. He could rest his eyes for a little longer, and ask again later.

*********

Steve could not begin to guess how much time had passed when he came to again. The light filtering into the room seemed the same, but his head was a lot clearer, and the suffocating, breathless feeling was almost entirely gone. He did still feel weak, and his leg ached fiercely, clearly not back to normal.

His vaguely familiar rescuer was still—or again—in the room, though now he sat at a desk by a wall, hunched over papers Steve could not make out in any detail from his bed, his expression deeply focused. Steve almost felt sorry to disturb him, but he was desperate for some explanations.

"Uh, hello?" he tried, and was happy to find his voice was closer to its usual strength.

"Well! Good morning!" The man instantly dropped his work and brought his chair to Steve's bedside. "Feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you. And I assume it's you I should be thanking for being alive, mister—?"

"Stark, but please, call me Tony." He flashed Steve a wide smile as he introduced himself, and for the second time, Steve got the feeling that he should know this man, although the name didn't ring a bell right away. "What do I call you?" Tony asked.

Steve realized for the first time that his mask was gone—his secret identity was compromised. Somehow, it didn't seem as significant as it probably should've. So far, Tony hadn't made a single reference to him as Captain America. The explosion must've badly damaged his costume. Perhaps Tony hadn't recognized it for what it was.

He finally settled on just "Steve," and held out a hand, which Tony shook firmly.

"Pleased to see you feeling better, Steve," Tony said, not inquiring after a surname. "As for the rescue, you should thank the dolphins, first and foremost, and Melissa, who found you, and Doc Kyna, and a number of others before me. I'm hardly your rescuer, only your host."

"Dolphins?" Steve repeated, no less confused.

"They've plucked quite a few unfortunate people from the seas," Tony said, as if that somehow explained it. It did ignite a spark of hope in Steve, though.

"Did they… When they found me, were there others?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, no," Tony said. He must've caught the way that hit Steve, almost like a physical blow, because he instantly added, "I'm sorry."

Bucky hadn't been rescued. He really was gone, just like Steve had first thought. If not in the explosion, then in the sea. The closest friend he'd had, the bravest, most reliable man he had ever gone to battle with—lost forever, while Steve had survived, by some strange twist of fate.

"I don't want to pry, but were there many of you?" Tony asked softly. "Just in case I do learn of other dolphinbacks."

Steve didn't want to get the false hopes up again. Surely if Bucky had survived, he would've been found by now. He was quite hazy on how much time had passed, but it must've been a few days, at least.

"Just me and Bucky," he said, forcing out the words through the sickening, suffocating feeling of loss.

Tony was looking at him expectantly, as if considering whether to ask for more details. Steve had no intention of giving any—he had yet to receive any answers himself. He wasn't about to divulge the details of his military mission to a stranger, even to one who spoke like an American.

It was time Steve asked a few questions of his own. "Where am I?" he began.

"That's quite a long story, actually," Tony said, with an unexpected warm smile. "You're in my home, on an island called Dinotopia, and that is something you need to see for yourself, rather than hear described. I promise you'll learn all about it as soon as you've had some more time to recover."

"That's not much of an answer," Steve complained. He had never heard of such a place, and wasn't reassured by Tony's reluctance to say more. "Why should I trust you? I don't even know you," he added bluntly.

Tony made a face and raised his hands in theatrical, exaggerated shock. "Ah, has the world forgotten me so quickly? It's been a few years, I'll give you that, but I did hope I'd made enough of a splash to be remembered for a little longer. Tony Stark, billionaire, inventor, adventurer?"

With that, the pieces slotted together in Steve's mind: this was why Tony had seemed familiar. Not that Steve had been following his exploits that closely, but he had heard of Tony, who was a genuine celebrity. He should've recognized the name. "Ah, I don't think you were forgotten—but I do think they said you'd died?"

"As the cliché goes, those reports were greatly exaggerated," Tony said. "Though I don't blame them. I have been cut off from the rest of the world since I crashed here, some seven years ago."

Steve didn't like the sound of that. "So you're stuck here? Does that mean I will be, too?"

"Let's just say, so far I've not felt the need to leave strongly enough to put very much effort into it," Tony said, his expression more serious. "Give it a few days. It's a unique place, you may find you like it here."

"So far all I've seen is this room," Steve returned. "Not to sound ungrateful, of course."

"You've also been unconscious or asleep," Tony noted, not appearing offended at all. "And I'm not convinced you're well enough for the guided tour quite yet."

Steve did feel better, but he soon found out as he tried to sit up that he was awfully woozy, and even that slight movement turned the ache in his leg into a relentless, distracting pain. Whatever he'd done to it must've been bad. Tony deftly moved in to prop a few pillows behind Steve's back while he focused on just holding himself together.

With Steve settled more or less comfortably in a seated position, Tony eyed him as if trying to get a read on him. "Aren't you going to ask about your injuries?"

"I'll heal," Steve answered. He always did, thanks to the serum.

Tony pursed his lips unhappily. "Well, you will," he began hesitantly, "though I must warn you, you'll certainly have a limp. Your leg was broken in two places. We've done our best, but it's never going to be quite the way it was."

"It'll be fine," Steve said. It might take some time, but he knew his bones would mend back to normal. He couldn't have cared less about his own health. He would gladly have taken a dozen times worse if he could've save Bucky.

Tony seemed to have mistaken Steve's succinct replies for annoyance. "I know it's no fun being stuck here, I've enough experience on that," he offered sympathetically. "The Doc is slated to pay you a visit tomorrow. After that, we can talk about getting you out of bed. For now, I suggest you try eating something. And if there's anything you'd like to help pass the time, aside from my company, just ask. I've got to warn you, though, the library here is very haphazard."

The idea of food didn't feel appealing, but Steve knew he'd need it to keep healing. "Food sounds good, as do books, but what I'd really appreciate would be if you could get me a sketchbook and some pencils."

So it was that Steve spent his first full, conscious day on Dinotopia in bed, trying his best to keep his mind occupied, and failing most of the time. He already missed Bucky, and couldn't stop wondering if he could've done something differently. Even as he tried to focus on doodling details of the room around him, his mind kept straying to the sea rushing past below the plane, and to Bucky's determined face.

Tony showed up a few times, asking if Steve needed anything, and offering to stay and keep him company. He turned down those offers; he didn't feel like talking, especially not to this man he barely knew at all. He did want to learn more of where he was and how, but that was for later. For now, there was healing and mourning.

*********

Steve dreamed of falling, of reaching out for Bucky's hand, only to have his face swallowed by flames or waves. He woke up drenched in sweat the following morning—or day, Steve had no watch and no way to know the time of day aside from trying to guess based on the sunlight.

Soon after breakfast, he got the visit from a doctor that Tony had promised—and it turned out this Doc wasn't human.

Steve's first thought was that he must still be asleep: the creature that walked in after Tony was something slightly resembling the one he'd hallucinated on the beach, a lizard-like thing, though much smaller, like comparing a chicken to a horse. It was barely tall enough to reach Tony's waist, slim, with long limbs and neck, and it walked on two feet. The most peculiar detail of all was that it was covered not in short fuzz like the creature on the beach, but in unmistakable feathers.

"Steve, meet Doc Kyna," Tony introduced. "She doesn't speak English if she can avoid it, because her vocal chords aren't well suited for it, but understands it perfectly, and I can translate."

Steve couldn't stop staring, and the being called Kyna stared right back with its—no, _her_ —sharp gaze, a very obviously sentient one. He was too baffled to even open his mouth to ask what on Earth this creature was, which probably saved him from a social faux pas.

What followed was undoubtedly the strangest medical examination Steve had ever gone through, and he had had his fair share of those, from his sickly childhood to becoming the first successful super soldier. The Doc peered closely at his face with her bright eyes, had him open his mouth and sniffed at it, and pressed her snake-like head close to his chest, asking him to take deep breaths and listening intently. Tony hovered a few steps back, translating her chirped directions. Finally, her attention was turned to Steve's leg, which up to now had been immobilized in a complicated setup of pulleys and weights.

Far more gently than a being with such long sharp claws had any right to, aided by Tony, Kyna detached the weights and peeled back the bandages to consider the leg—which caused her to break out in excited chatter unlike any of her earlier softer sounds.

"Yeah, I'm seeing it too, no, definitely not normal for humans," Tony told her. His eyebrows had also climbed an inch. He cast an openly baffled look at Steve. "There's practically no swelling and the bruising has faded almost completely. I have no idea how this is possible."

Steve knew how, of course, and he could've said something, should've, maybe, but he was still unwilling. Especially to a doctor who was some kind of an odd sentient lizard-bird. He just shrugged.

After the initial surprise, Kyna went back to her more subdued manner, and explained something to Tony, with Tony mainly nodding and agreeing.

"Good news," Tony addressed Steve. "Since your leg has mysteriously healed far better than it should have, there's nothing to stop us from putting it in a cast right away, and once that's done, you could give walking a go."

Kyna and Tony left the room for a few minutes to fetch supplies, and returned followed by a man with white hair and bushy white sideburns, whom Tony introduced as Jarvis, "a wizard in the workshop, but don't get on his bad side."

Once they had wrapped Steve's leg in plaster from thigh to toe, they left it to dry, and Kyna and Jarvis filed out, leaving Steve alone with Tony once again.

"All right, go on, ask away," Tony smirked at Steve.

"Huh?" Steve blurted.

"I know you've been burning to since Kyna walked in. Ask me what she is."

"Okay, I can't deny that I have. Do tell. What is she?"

"She's a _Troodon_ ," Tony said, which meant nothing to Steve. "That's her species. More generically, she's a dinosaur."

"A dinosaur," Steve repeated. That didn't seem to fit. "You mean one of those prehistoric monsters? But she has feathers!"

"Not monsters, but yes, prehistoric," Tony said, beaming. "And indeed, many species have down or feathers. Turns out those don't fossilize very well, so science in the outside world has yet to figure out the feature."

"So, it wasn't a hallucination," Steve said, thinking aloud. "One of these creatures found me on the beach."

"Not a creature, but a lovely old lady named Melissa, a _Maiasaura_ ," Tony corrected. "She was extremely worried you'd die before she managed to find help."

Dinosaurs. Steve tried to grasp the idea and didn't quite manage. "Dinotopia, you called this place. An island of dinosaurs."

Tony walked over to the window and finally opened the curtains, revealing a stunning view that, left unexplained, would have had Steve doubting his sanity: not far from them, downhill, lay a beach, and wading in the water were several of the largest animals Steve had seen in his life, far bigger than elephants, with long tails and equally long, gracefully arched necks. Smaller dinosaurs and humans were flitting by their tree trunk sized legs, but Steve couldn't make out the details from where he lay.

"An island of dinosaurs and humans, living peacefully together," Tony said, motioning at the window. "Of course, there is the occasional minor conflict, but overall, it's the most harmonious society I've ever come across. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier; I thought you already had enough on your mind, surrounded by strangers and injured as you were." Tony considerately did not mention the loss of Bucky, but the implication was clear.

"I did, and I'm not sure if I would've believed you anyway," Steve admitted. As much as he hated being kept in the dark, he could understand why Tony had chosen not to pour all the bizarre details on him at once, and he was less annoyed than he might've expected.

"Took me months to get used to. I have seen a thing or two during my adventures, but nothing like this," Tony said. With the reputation he had—the adventurer who had seen all the miracles the world had to offer—that was quite the recommendation. "And we are in the backwoods here. Wait until you see the great cities, like Sauropolis and Waterfall City! Even the nearby Volcaneum has its own rugged charm."

"I'd be happy to see the room next door," Steve said. He brushed the plaster covering his thigh with his fingertips. It still felt damp. "When might that be?"

"One thing that you'll learn about dinosaurs, or Dinotopians in general, is that they're not as obsessed with exact timekeeping as we're used to," Tony said apologetically. "Kyna said the cast will be safe to walk with after the sun has gone below the horizon. I'd give it until tomorrow, just to be sure."

Steve couldn't quite hold back the resigned sigh. At least he now had the view from the window. He spent a good part of his day sketching it, and wishing he had oil or watercolors to work with instead. Pencil could not do it justice, especially with the sunset that colored the sky with innumerable hues of orange and red, with the lone silhouette of a gigantic long-necked dinosaur against the sky.

*********

In his dreams, Steve was falling again, but this time, someone caught him: he woke up to steadying hands on his shoulders, a soothing voice murmuring, "Steve, it's okay, come on, just a nightmare, you're safe."

Of course, it was Tony, bent over him, worried face lit by the rosy early dawn light. As soon as he noticed Steve's eyes were open, he pulled back.

Steve couldn't help feeling embarrassed, his face heating up. "I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked.

"No, no, don't worry. I was in the next room, getting a late night snack, or early morning, that's probably more accurate. Couldn't help hearing you thrash about, so I had to make sure everything was all right," Tony explained, though oddly enough, he also seemed slightly embarrassed. Looking properly at him, Steve thought the bags under his eyes were more pronounced than the day before.

"I'm glad you did," Steve had to admit. His leg ached in a way that implied he'd already banged it up in his sleep, and waking up to Tony's soothing voice was far preferable to being alone and shaky all over.

Steve couldn't deny that he was starting to enjoy Tony's company, as much as he felt he shouldn't. Although he barely knew Tony, the man was very easy to like, and it didn't feel like the practiced appearance of a charming celebrity and ladies' man that Steve would've expected; Tony never seemed anything but genuine around him.

"Do you want to talk about it? The nightmares?" Tony asked softly. "I'll understand if you say no, of course."

Steve took a deep breath. Maybe he should talk. Besides, if he was to be stuck in this place indefinitely, he could use a friend. "It's Bucky. The friend I lost. I keep thinking, wondering if I could've done something differently," he began, and suddenly the words came tumbling out. "I keep seeing that explosion in my dreams. He was like a little brother to me, my closest colleague and my best friend. I should've protected him. If someone had to die—I would gladly have given my life to keep him safe."

Tony placed his hand on Steve's shoulder again, and Steve didn't mind that at all. "I know words mean little, and I wasn't there, but I'm sure you did all you could."

"I wish I could be as sure about that," Steve said, looking away, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. "He shouldn't have been there."

"Was he there by his own choice, though?" Tony asked.

"Of course he was, but he would've followed me anywhere."

"Well, if he did so willingly," Tony said, voice firm, "he was where he wanted to be, and you should not blame yourself for that."

Steve knew that was true, but accepting it was another matter; he doubted he'd ever fully get over the guilt. Somehow, he still felt slightly better for having put some of it into words. He closed his eyes for a blink, and realized he was still quite tired.

"You should try to catch a few more hours of sleep if you can," Tony said.

"And you?" Steve asked, peering at him between half open eyelids. "Have you slept at all?" Tony didn't really look like he had.

"Ah, I still have some work to finish," Tony said. "I should get back to it."

Not long after Tony had left, Steve finally fell to a mercifully dreamless, deep slumber.

*********

The small-hours encounter seemed to have shifted something; it felt like a turning point, the first step towards accepting that his life might be different from now on. When Steve woke up the second time, he felt more refreshed, and excited at the prospect of finally getting to see the house beyond his room.

Tony brought in a large breakfast tray, with enough food for the both of them. He also opened the window, letting in air that was refreshingly cool and had a faint, pleasant scent of some flower Steve couldn't name. Tony didn't mention what had happened at night, but he must've caught some sleep as well, since he didn't look quite as drawn.

After breakfast, it was time for Steve to attempt standing. Tony carefully helped him bring his casted leg over the edge of the bed and rest the heel on the floor. It felt odd and achy, but he had suffered far worse.

They tried a few steps, just there in the small room, with Steve leaning against Tony. The physical closeness felt somewhat distracting to Steve. Tony was a handsome man, there was no denying it. His looks certainly would've caught Steve's attention in other circumstances, and had him fighting off all kinds of improper impulses.

As for walking, it was maddeningly slow, but definitely doable. Satisfied with their progress, Tony handed Steve a pair of crutches and opened the one door leading out of the room. Steve had only ever seen vague glimpses of a larger, colorful room beyond it.

"I don't doubt for one second that you can do this," Tony said encouragingly. "I've never seen anyone recuperate as fast. Still, better be cautious. Slow and easy does it."

"Slow and easy," Steve agreed, and took his first steps on the crutches, covering the distance to the doorstep without wavering at all. Tony stayed close, but let Steve do the walking on his own.

As soon as they were out of the room, a colorful blur emerged at their feet: three small dinosaurs, roughly the same size as Kyna, though none of them quite as slim. Each had different colors and plumage, and if Steve had had to guess, he would've said they were all different species.

"Hey, hey, kids, tone it down," Tony said, his voice amused and not at all stern. "I know you're excited to meet Steve, but he's still hurt. Give the man some space."

The three colorful things chirped at him, resembling nothing as much as excited puppies.

"Uh, hi?" Steve said. He had no clue how he was supposed to react. "Who are your little friends?"

"The big, brown female is U, the green male with a yellowish beak is Butterfingers, and the smaller green male is Dumee," Tony said, pointing each dinosaur out as he pronounced their names.

"Dummy?" Steve repeated at the last one. That sounded like an oddly insulting name to pick.

The dinosaur raised his head at what sounded like his name and cooed at Steve.

"Well, not quite. I may have called him that, which wasn't very nice of me, but then he spelled it as d-u-m-e-e and the name stuck." Tony shrugged. "Honestly, that's not even among the worst. Dinos are fond of nicknames, and there are some very colorful ones out there."

Dumee was now eyeing Steve looking so much like he wanted to be scratched that Steve cautiously reached out his hand towards the feather-covered head.

"Go on," Tony encouraged him, clearly noticing his hesitation. "He won't bite. Go for the spot behind that blue patch, he really likes it." As if to offer an example, he placed his own hand on U's head and ruffled the feathers there. The dinosaur made a pleased, purr-like sound, and rubbed her head against Tony's palm like a cat.

Steve leaned one crutch against a nearby chair and followed the instructions, giving the small dinosaur a scratch roughly where a dog's ear might've been. The feathered skin felt warm and not at all reptilian, entirely different from what Steve would've expected based on every description of dinosaurs that he had come across.

"I'll just show our guest the premises, and then we can play, all right?" Tony addressed the three dinosaurs again. All three nodded their heads and took a few steps away from Steve and Tony.

Steve was slightly confused how different these three seemed from the undoubtedly sharp intellect that Kyna had shown. They were much more like young children, or dogs. "Are they adolescents?" he asked Tony, keeping his voice soft. It didn't feel like a very polite question with the trio still close by and their eyes on Steve.

"No, no, they're fully grown, they're just different," Tony said. "And don't let them fool you, they are very handy with mechanical things. Most of the time."

Steve wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but then again, humans had enough variation as well when it came to intelligence—clearly it was the same for dinosaurs. "So, they live here with you?"

"They do, most of the time. As does Jarvis, and a few other friends visit often enough. As it happens, they should be showing up for dinner today, which is going to be great!" Tony said, with a bright smile. "Anyway, the house! The dining room is right there, and the living room is around us. The kitchen is back there."

Steve took in the space around him as Tony described it. It was somewhat less luxurious than he would've expected, but then again, they weren't at home anymore. Tony had said that the island was isolated from the surrounding world, which clearly made a difference. It looked as if they had stepped a few decades back in time. For one, he couldn't instantly see any electric appliances at all. Instead, there were plenty of colorful draperies and carpets on the floor, and the wooden furniture was full of finely carved details.

"The bedrooms and the bathroom are upstairs," Tony motioned at a staircase to the left. "But the stairs are steep, so I think we'd better leave that for another day. That's also why you're actually staying in the study. Seemed like a better pick, considering your injuries."

Steve's eyes fell across another door, next to the stairs. "What's behind that one?" he asked, nodding towards it.

"That's private," Tony said, uncharacteristically curt. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Now, if you'd please follow me this way." The more serious look gave way to an easy smile again as Tony gestured like a tour guide towards a door across the room.

Steve was slightly taken aback by the unexpected lack of a reply. He'd thought the main secret Tony had been keeping from him had been the dinosaurs, and was tentatively starting to trust Tony, but it seemed like that hadn't been the end of it. It disappointed him—he really wanted to have at least one person he could rely on in this strange new world.

Leaning on the crutches, doing his best to keep the disappointment from showing, Steve slowly made his way to the door, which Tony opened to reveal a veranda leading to a small expanse of lawn that turned into a flowering meadow and then into a forest. They walked through the cozy veranda, past a set of chairs with comfortable-looking cushions next to a small table. There were a few steps down to the yard. They seemed to make Tony more anxious than Steve, who negotiated them easily.

"Not that much to see out here, really," Tony went on with the tour. "Over there we have the guest quarters for larger dinosaurs who can't fit in the house. The smaller building next to it is the forge and the workshop."

With that, it occurred to Steve that he'd never considered what Tony did for a living on the island. He obviously wouldn't have access to his funds from the outside world—if this society of intelligent dinosaurs even used money. "So, you're a blacksmith here?" he asked.

"Among other things," Tony replied. "Jarvis and I fix things, anything from broken wagon wheels to clockwork."

"But I thought you said they don't measure time?" Steve frowned.

"Ah, they do, but it's nothing like at home. Their pocket watches are a thing of beauty. Say, let's get you seated on the veranda, and I'll show you the one I've just finished working on."

*********

As Tony had promised, that evening, the house filled with guests, and Steve joined them for dinner. It was a welcome change that he could eat seated by a table, surrounded by people. The food was simple but tasty, with many spices Steve had never come across before. To Steve's surprise, there was no meat at all, only copious amounts of vegetables, nuts and rice.

In addition to Tony, Jarvis and the three small dinosaurs, who stood on seats, there were three new people around the table. Two of them were red-headed women, both very pretty. Their names were Pepper and Natasha, and Pepper had arrived on the island together with Tony and Jarvis, as had the black man whom Tony introduced as "Colonel Rhodes, but just call him Rhodey."

"And that's colonel, retired, since Dinotopia doesn't have a military," Rhodey added.

"Although maybe it should," Natasha added, in a rather gloomy tone. She had the slightest accent—Russian? The name would fit that.

"No, it absolutely should not," Jarvis said, just as grave. "That's what sets us apart from every other society on the planet. Dinotopia has never had a military, and it doesn't need one. Whatever weapons the Northerners might have, there are not enough of them to pose a real threat, not when they have no dinosaurs on their side. We can defend ourselves without organized armed forces."

This had to be one of the conflicts Tony had referred to earlier, though it sounded rather serious, not something minor and inconsequential. 

"Oh, here we go again," Pepper complained, shaking her head. "We've had this conversation a million times. Come on, we have a new face on the table, let's cut the politics for tonight."

The talk then shifted to less heated topics. All of the visitors seemed to know who Steve was, and didn't question him about his past or how he had come to be here. He nevertheless ended up telling them some news of the world outside. It was the first time he spoke of the war. None of the others seemed overly surprised to hear of it; there had been plenty of tension in world politics before they had ended up on the island.

The three visitors, in turn, described their stay at The Hatchery, which, just as it sounded, was a place where some of the large dinosaurs went to lay their eggs. Apparently, Pepper and Natasha spent most of their time traveling around the island, usually carrying items or messages that didn't need to be delivered in a hurry. Now, they were passing through on their way towards Waterfall City, carrying the notes a local scientist had written concerning the care of some childhood illnesses that were common in dinosaurs. Rhodey was particularly interested in plant life, and often joined the two ladies on these trips.

None of the conversations during the evening confused Steve quite as much as the scene he witnessed when they had finished the food and the herbal tea, and began to move away from the table.

"I'll go see to the Horn-heads," Natasha said, referring to their dinosaur companions who drew the carriage they traveled in.

"All right, I'll meet you in bed, then," Pepper said, placed her hand behind Natasha's back, and pulled her into a kiss. There was no mistaking it—it wasn't a peck on the cheek like the French often did or an intimate greeting between good friends, but a lingering, passionate kiss on the lips—and none of the others did as much as bat an eyelid at it. Steve did his best not to stare.

Tony saw Steve to his room, and once he was sure there was no one else around, Steve couldn't help but ask him about it, feeling awkward and stammering as he did. "Pepper and Natasha—are they—together?"

"Ah, I should've probably mentioned that. Yes, they are, and it's not unusual at all. Seeing ladies with ladies or men with men is yet another thing you'll need to get used to, here," Tony answered, an unreadable look on his face.

Steve could barely catch sleep that night, and it wasn't because of fear of nightmares, but his disbelief over this revelation. He'd lived his entire life trying to curb his occasional feelings towards other men—feelings that he'd never dared to even think of acting on. That such relationships could take place out in the open, generally accepted and not frowned upon, was beyond what he'd ever dreamed of.

He couldn't help but wonder how Tony felt about this: whether he'd been as excited as Steve was when he'd first found out about it, or if he'd had a hard time accepting it. Whether he'd ever considered kissing a man, or had already done so.

Whether he might consider kissing Steve.

He told himself these were thoughts he shouldn't be having anyway, even if they were accepted, because as much time as he'd spent with Tony during the past few days, there was still a lot he didn't know. He had no idea what secrets Tony was still keeping from him, and couldn't be sure he could trust Tony at all.

*********

The following morning, Tony wasn't there.

Steve woke up to the sounds of people shuffling in the surrounding rooms, talking in low voices. Some time later, Jarvis knocked on the door and asked him if he'd be all right with eating breakfast in the dining room. Steve said it was fine, pulled on the simple, comfortable clothes Tony had given him the previous day, and hobbled to the kitchen, wondering how long his leg would have to remain in the cast. It already felt nearly normal, and the heavy plaster made moving around awfully cumbersome.

There was still plenty of bread, jam and cheese on the dining room table, though it was plain to see other people had already had their breakfast. "Have the others left already?" Steve asked Jarvis.

"Afraid so—Rhodey, Pepper and Natasha took an early start towards Waterfall City, and Tony got called away on business," Jarvis replied, spreading some kind of paste that might well have been peanut butter on his toast.

"Tony's not around?" Steve said, surprised. Tony hadn't mentioned anything about having to go anywhere. Whatever secrets he might be keeping, Steve couldn't see why he wouldn't have.

"He's not, and it could take a few days before he returns. This was something completely unplanned. He asked me to apologize on his behalf," Jarvis said. "In the meantime, if there's anything you need, feel free to ask me."

So far, Steve's days had been shaped around meals and conversations with Tony, which had helped keep him distracted. Without the company, he found himself feeling much more melancholic with thoughts of what he'd lost, both the deep hurt of Bucky being gone and the difficult to grasp idea that he might never again see any of the places or people he had grown used to.

He sat down on the veranda with his sketchbook. Its pages were mostly filled with drawings of things he had seen around him: first, the details of his bedroom, then dinosaurs. Trying to capture their feathered appearance was a challenge for him; he hadn't even drawn birds all that often.

Today, with his mind still in the past, he found himself sketching something different. It began as a simple doodle of a city skyline, but then evolved into an intricate, detailed take on a familiar New York view. Along the way, he realized his hand was shaking.

He might never walk the streets of his hometown again. He had gone through some rough times in the city, but his fondest memories were from there as well, those of his mother and his childhood friends. He had traveled around the country and the world as Captain America, but he had always had that home to return to, and he had always loved seeing it again.

What was he supposed to do, here, now? There was no war on Dinotopia, and no military to join. His leg would heal, and then he'd—do what, exactly? Help Tony and Jarvis in their work? Join Pepper, Natasha and Rhodey on their travels? Would a society of humans and dinosaurs have use for a half decent artist?

For the past few years, since his rebirth as a super soldier, there had never been any need to think about the future. There would be time for that later, once the war was over. Out there, it was probably still going on, but he was no longer a part of it. To the world, he was dead. People would mourn him, and no one would ever know of his fate. They wouldn't know that it was Bucky Barnes they should be mourning, not Steve Rogers or Captain America.

Suddenly, it all felt like too much. He put down the pencil and stood up. Maybe walking would help.

He grabbed his crutches and descended the few steps to the front yard. There was a dirt road cutting across the lawn, wide enough for dinosaur-drawn carriages, leading roughly towards the east and the west. There was also a smaller track heading north, through the meadow, into the forest. Steve decided to head that way.

The flowers in the meadow were like nothing Steve had ever seen, and the same was true of the things that grew in the forest: he couldn't name a single tree, and the forest floor was full of ferns and grasses that were equally unfamiliar. Perhaps the plant life was as ancient as the dinosaurs.

Some two dozen steps into the woods, Steve came across a crossroads, and he'd only just stopped to consider which way to go when he heard a rustling to his right. Were there dinosaurs living here? He'd thought they stayed in houses like humans, not out in the wild. Could there be dangerous animals so close to Tony's home? Surely someone would've warned him about them? Though Tony and Jarvis might not have expected him to wander this far off the grounds.

He was stuck wondering if he should try to retreat or to hide behind a tree—which might be a futile effort, since a predatory dinosaur would probably have better senses than humans did—when a perfectly human figure rushed out of the woods and almost ran into him.

"Whoa! Sorry, I didn't spot you there," the man exclaimed, raising his arms, looking as startled as Steve felt.

Sheepish, Steve admitted, "I kind of thought you might be a dinosaur."

"Oh, trust me, they would never make as much noise as I just did," the man replied, and held out his hand. "Sam Wilson."

The most remarkable thing about Sam wasn't his easy, friendly smile, but the fact that he was wearing what looked unmistakably like a uniform—blue and gold, with a strange winged symbol on its chest—on an island with no military.

"Steve Rogers," Steve replied automatically.

Only a second too late, he realized that he'd given his full name, though so far he had never mentioned his surname to anyone on the island. Not that it mattered; it wouldn't mean anything to anyone here anyway, and he wasn't sure why he hadn't told it to Tony already. The topic had never really come up in any of their conversations.

"Pleased to meet you," Sam said. "I usually pay a little more attention to my surroundings when I run, but I've got a lot of things on my mind right now."

"I could say the same," Steve said. "Do you live around here?"

Sam made a slightly confused face. "No, I'm a skybax rider," he said, like it was the most obvious thing—probably the answer to what the uniform stood for. "Ah, right, you must be the dolphinback staying with Stark! Skybax rider means I fly with one of the most elegant beings ever to grace the skies of this world," Sam added proudly.

"Flying dinosaurs?" Steve asked.

"They're not dinosaurs, but just as ancient," Sam said. "Actually, tell you what, let's head back to the house, and I'll introduce you to Redwing."

This short walk was turning out to be a far better distraction than Steve had hoped for. "Sure," he replied.

"Afraid you won't get a flight demonstration today," Sam went on as they turned to walk back at the slow pace Steve was limited to. "He's still recovering from the hurried trip to get here. I shouldn't have pushed him like that. I still feel awful about it, but it really was an emergency."

"Oh? What happened?" Steve asked, his eyes set tightly on the path ahead, which was riddled with roots and stones.

"No one told you? There was a rockslide close to Thermala, in the Forbidden Mountains, and a number of people are trapped because of it. It's a tricky spot to be in, and we hoped Iron Man would be able to help," Sam replied.

"Iron Man?" Steve repeated. He was starting to hate how he was constantly running across things he had never heard of—having to ask about every other word made him feel ignorant, and worry that he'd be tedious to talk to.

Sam stopped, giving him another perplexed look. "All right, now, that's just odd. You're living in Tony Stark's house, but no one has thought to mention Iron Man to you? And you've never even seen it?"

"Honestly, I have no idea what that is!" Steve said, somewhat disgruntled.

"I guess it kind of makes sense for them to keep it under wraps," Sam said with a shrug, and kept walking. "Seeing as the whole thing is controversial, like Stark himself."

"Don't tell me, he's also a celebrity here? He was definitely one in the outside world," Steve said.

"Every dolphinback is famous—Stark and the three others he crashed with, and yourself. Everyone in nearby towns has probably heard about you already. Most people here are like me, born on the island to families that have been here for generations. Dolphinbacks are rare. Countless seasons can pass without a single one," Sam told him.

That took Steve by surprise; he had gotten the impression that news didn't travel very fast on this island, but perhaps gossip was an exception. "But Stark is special?"

"Try problematic," Sam said, with half a smile. "Not long after he landed here, he discovered the relics of our long-lost ancestors, mechanical things that have remained untouched for thousands of years. Many believe he should've left those ancient machines as they were, forgotten, deep underground. If not for this, he'd probably be living in one of the big cities and not out here."

Considering that Tony had been an adventurer and an inventor in the outside world, that sounded fitting. Steve wondered whether the closed door Tony had refused to talk about had something to do with this; he could easily understand if Tony had wanted to keep the secret out of habit, because it was akin to taboo on the island. "And this Iron Man you mentioned is related to that?"

"At least everyone thinks so, though I don't know the full story. I doubt anyone does. It's a man-shaped machine, similar but not identical to the relics. Most people think Stark built it. It sometimes shows up when there's some kind of a crisis, like a natural disaster or a skirmish with the Northerners. Even if not everyone agrees with using the ancient technology, most do see it as useful and a force for good," Sam explained. "I really hope it'll help with the situation in the Mountains. The location was so tricky, neither sky galleys nor skybaxes could reach the trapped party without putting themselves at risk."

If this Iron Man, which sounded like some kind of a heroic robot, was the secret Tony had been keeping from him, Steve was more than willing to forgive it. Besides, it wasn't as if he had told Tony everything about himself, either.

"Do you know him well? Tony, I mean?" Steve asked.

"You probably know him better. I've only met Mr. Stark a handful of times before today," Sam said.

They were long out of the forest by now, and approaching the—Steve found himself thinking "barn" and quickly corrected himself. Even if the inside of the large building did resemble a barn or a stable, with plenty of open space and hay on the floor, it wasn't for livestock, but for large dinosaurs that could be just as smart as he was. The place was empty but for one indistinct shape curled up on the ground. Steve couldn't quite make out how large it was, and it didn't have feathers like most of the dinosaurs Steve had seen.

Sam crouched by the skybax and ran a gentle hand along what must be a wing. "Hi, Redwing," Sam said in a soft voice. "I hope you're feeling better? I brought a visitor. It's Steve, the latest dolphinback."

The wing shifted to reveal a beak longer than Steve's arm and a head with a red crest, and large lizard-like yellow eyes that opened to focus on Steve. Redwing squawked a word at Sam, unfurled his impressive, batlike wings and stood up. Steve had seen plenty of fighter planes that were smaller.

"Told you, the most graceful flying thing on Earth," Sam said proudly.

*********

Sam turned out to be great company. With someone born on the island to answer all his questions, Steve learned more about Dinotopia than he had so far. Aside from the occasional good-natured jab, Sam never made fun of Steve for not knowing things that locals took for granted.

The more Steve learned, the more curious he became. The place really did sound intriguing, and Sam's stories of all the different dinosaurs and the many cities, each with their unique architecture, atmosphere and mood, made him want to see them all. Sam promised to show Steve his hometown, the majestic Canyon City on the eastern part of the island, as soon as Steve was fit to travel.

When he slept, the nightmares of falling were still there, but there were other dreams: he dreamed of strange, beautiful places and of the countless different dinosaurs living in them. In his dreams, he was showing them to Bucky, who was even more excited than Steve was. Instead of waking up in cold sweat, he woke up with a wistful longing.

Sam was still there for breakfast, but soon after, it was time for him to leave, since Redwing had rested enough that they could return to the Forbidden Mountains to see how the situation had advanced. So far, there had been no word, which wasn't unexpected. They wouldn't send another rider unless something very serious had happened. Not getting a message was a good sign, Sam assured Steve.

Steve finally got to see the skybax in flight when Sam left, and it was just as impressive as he had expected. Sam attached a saddle on his steed's back and settled in it, not like a horseback rider, but lying down on his stomach. Without a single spoken word, as if the two were reading one another's minds, Redwing spread his enormous wings—colored just as the name implied—and soared into the air. They flew a circle over the house in goodbye, and headed towards the east, soon becoming nothing more but a tiny dot in the horizon.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Jarvis was busy in the workshop most of the time, but when Steve caught him taking a break, they talked; he tried to ask about Iron Man and the ancient technology in general, but Jarvis was tight-lipped. Apparently, wherever Iron Man was called for, Tony went as well, to keep an eye on things and to do maintenance, which was often needed.

Before lunch, Steve continued exploring the grounds, walking around the house. The view over the seashore, the same one he could see from his window, was his favorite. He considered a trip all the way down, but since he couldn't see an easy path, he decided it might be better left for later.

The day was warm, and most of the afternoon he spent in the shade offered by the veranda, sipping juice and drawing some more. The three dinosaurs seemed to have decided to take turns keeping him company. At least one of them was always by his side. U took a nap at his feet, Butterfingers brought him snacks, and Dumee climbed on the chair next to Steve, resting his chin on the table, staring at the sketchbook, and receiving the occasional scratch.

Redwing proved to be just as challenging a subject as any of the dinosaurs Steve had tried to draw. He also had to add a human figure as a reference to show how wide the skybax's wingspan was, and he couldn't keep himself from adding in the details of a skybax rider's uniform. It was the first human he'd sketched in the book, since he'd been trying to avoid drawing them until now. He knew he'd all too easily end up drawing Bucky, and that wouldn't make him feel any better—or he might end up drawing Tony, which also gave him some conflicting feelings.

Though he wouldn't have admitted it if someone had asked, he already missed Tony. Nothing like the bottomless sorrow of Bucky not being by his side, but a gnawing worry of not knowing what was going on with Tony or when he might be back. He'd grown so used to Tony being around all the time. Perhaps any warm feelings he thought he had were just that, him clinging to the first person he'd come across. Wasn't it the most typical thing for a wounded man to fall for his nurse, even if in this case that nurse happened to be a man?

Still, he couldn't help wondering what Tony thought about him, or how it would feel to bury his hand in Tony's hair, pull him close, and press their lips together.

*********

Steve slept late the following morning, after staying up half the night, lost in thought. Only Dumee and U joined him for breakfast; Jarvis must've already headed to the workshop, and maybe Butterfingers was with him. The two dinosaurs seemed even more excitable than usual, chirping at him and to one another. He recognized the "Good morning" at him once he entered, but aside from that, he had no hope of making sense of the rapid overlapping chatter, since he'd only picked up a few words of their language so far.

Steve decided to start his day with a walk around the house. It was becoming his new routine, in place of going for a run. He couldn't wait to be able to jog again.

He found Tony lying on the grassy slope overlooking the beach.

Tony's eyes were closed, his arms behind his head, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. Steve couldn't keep his gaze from straying to Tony's bare upper body, which—he did a double take. At first, he thought Tony was wearing some kind of a massive jewel pendant, but looking closer, the round gemstone seemed as if it was embedded in the middle of Tony's chest. It was a deep blue-green color, and like the sea, it shimmered in the sunlight. It must've been there all along, since it was surrounded by old, healed scarring.

As Steve approached, Tony opened his eyes and sat up quickly, clearly startled. "Morning, Steve! Wasn't expecting you."

Now getting a better look at Tony's face, Steve noticed the large bruise covering his right cheek. There was another, painful-looking contusion on his shoulder, and smaller ones scattered here and there on his exposed skin.

"Tony! Are you all right?" Steve blurted out.

"Asks the man with a twice-broken leg," Tony said, with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's just bruises, I'll be fine."

"But what about—" Steve didn't even know how to ask, his eyes flitting to the strange gem on Tony's chest.

"Ah, yes, this," Tony ran his thumb over the blue-green surface. "This is nothing to worry about. See, I had a weak heart—technically still do, but I don't think about it like that, because with this, it's as good as anyone's. I spent over a decade looking for a way to fix it, and Dinotopia is where I finally found one."

As secrets went, this was a big one. It was also something so personal Steve could easily see why Tony hadn't wanted to share it right away. "What is it? Does it hurt?" Steve had to ask. It was difficult not to feel dismayed by someone having a gemstone the size of a fist buried in their skin.

"No, it doesn't hurt. It's nicer than any of the earlier solutions. This is a sunstone, and it's a better power source than anything I've come across in the outside world." The smile that Tony gave now was a wider, more genuine one. "The charge will last for months unless I do something particularly draining, and even then, a few minutes in the sun are enough to replenish it."

Which must be why Tony was out here right now, basking in the sun, Steve concluded. The trip to the mountains had to count as draining, especially looking at all those bruises.

"Does this have to do with the ancient technology of the island?" Steve asked.

"Who told you about that?" Tony returned, his eyes suddenly wide, the smile gone, his expression even more surprised than when he'd seen Steve out here.

"Sam, the skybax rider," Steve said.

Tony looked down unhappily, shaking his head. "I assume he didn't have anything good to say on the topic."

"Well, he did call you controversial, but overall, it wasn't that bad," Steve said in his most reassuring tone.

"Controversial," Tony huffed. "That's one way to put it. It's so ironic." He shook his head again. "They have some of the most amazing technology I have ever seen at their fingertips, and they barely use it. Not to speak of what it's like for me. Here's a place where I could take take multiple lovers if I ever wanted to, either men or women, but to work with these incredible machines, now, that they don't like. Not that it's forbidden, and not that anyone would ever say anything overly harsh. That's not the Dinotopian way. Still, it's clear enough they're not happy about it."

Steve had yet to see Tony get this worked up over anything. "I'm sorry," he said. He also hadn't missed the mention of "lovers, either men or women", which raised questions in his mind that would certainly be out of place in this conversation.

Tony took a deep breath. "Nah, I shouldn't complain. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stayed. Everyone says there's no way off the island. I don't believe that, but so far, I've not been able to think of anywhere else I'd rather be."

"Maybe the Dinotopians will come around," Steve suggested. "You've only been here for a few years. They seem to like Iron Man well enough."

Tony hummed, unconvinced. "So, you've heard about him, too."

"Yes. Only good things. Sam seemed to think he's very helpful," Steve said. "Why didn't you tell me about him before? Even Jarvis didn't mention where you'd gone or why, Sam had to explain it to me. Is that because of those attitudes towards the technology?"

"Mostly. We're all very used to keeping quiet about it," Tony admitted, looked like he might say more, but then stayed silent, biting his lip.

Steve waited. There was clearly more to the story, but he didn't want to push.

When Tony spoke up, however, it wasn't to continue. "Steve, can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure?" Steve said. He had no idea where this was going.

"It's very much against Dinotopian custom to pry into anyone's past, but I'm not from around here." Tony paused, offering Steve the chance to decline, which he didn't. Encouraged by that, Tony went on: "The way you heal is beyond anything I've ever seen. It's obvious that you're special in some way. Are you ever going to tell me about it?"

It would only be fair; Tony had shared what had to be a closely kept secret. Never in the outside world had Steve heard a single rumor about Tony Stark having heart issues, let alone using mechanical inventions to keep them at bay. Besides, what would it matter if he did share his identity here? The people on the island hadn't even heard of the war, let alone the part his alter ego had played in it.

"My name is Steve Rogers, and I didn't always look like I do now," Steve began. "I was a scrawny, sickly kid, until military science turned me into a super soldier. Captain America."

"Captain America?" Tony repeated incredulously. "And they tell me 'Iron Man' sounds pretentious! It does fit the remnants of the uniform you wore. There was never any doubt what country you might be from. I assume this is all very hush-hush?"

"It was, back home. Very few people knew my identity," Steve admitted.

"Your secret is safe with me," Tony promised.

"As is yours, with me," Steve returned.

"You haven't heard all of it yet, though," Tony said.

There was still the matter of that locked door, of course, but Steve had assumed that had been about Iron Man.

Tony stood up, picked up his shirt from the ground and shrugged into it, not bothering to button it. "Follow me," he said, gesturing along the slope. "And you'll get the rest of the story."

They didn't walk very far, just another ten paces or so, to where a lone boulder sat on the grassy ground. Steve had walked past it several times, never paying much attention to it. Turned out he should've: Tony crouched next to the rock and pushed at what must be a specific part of it. At that light touch, the boulder swung aside with a mechanical hiss, revealing a metallic platform beneath, a few inches below the ground.

"This way," Tony motioned at the platform, and placed a hand on the small of Steve's back to guide him to it. Steve tried to suppress the shiver that ran through him. It wasn't as if this was the first time Tony touched him, but it was different, because it wouldn't have been strictly necessary. It almost felt flirtatious.

With no idea what to expect, Steve stepped down. Tony moved his hand to Steve's shoulder, staying very close. There was just enough space for the two of them to stand on the platform; you couldn't have fit a third person on it, except for a small dinosaur.

"Watch out, there's always a little jolt, haven't been able to get rid of that yet," Tony warned, and stepped on a pedal close to the edge of the platform

Indeed, a tremor ran through the metal they stood on as it began to descend straight down with a metallic grinding sound. Steve wouldn't have had any problems staying upright just leaning on the crutches, but he didn't mind that Tony seemed to think he needed to be supported.

"In case you're wondering, yes, we are on our way to the basement, which is where that door you asked about leads," Tony stated the obvious. "There are stairs behind that door, though, not an elevator like this. This is the exit Iron Man uses."

They'd descended perhaps ten feet or so when they emerged in a room larger than any in the house above, clearly dug into the ground, with brick-covered walls.

The place couldn't have looked more like a mad scientist's hideout. Lying here and there were bits and pieces of mechanical limbs, heads and wings in countless sizes and shapes, surrounded by scattered cogwheels and pipes and panels of different metals that gleamed in tones of silver and copper. Steve couldn't spot anything complete, and he thought that whatever those pieces would build up to might not even fit inside the room.

An approaching rattle of claws against a hard floor drew Steve's attention from the bits and pieces of Dinotopian technology. The three small dinosaurs had appeared from somewhere, and as Tony moved away from Steve to greet them, they ran into him like a pack of dogs eager to see their owner back.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Tony cooed, and knelt to be closer to them. "I'm fine, and I'm glad to be back, too!"

The dinosaurs surrounded him and spread their winglike arms protectively around him. For a moment, all Steve could see were colorful feathers and scales, with Tony giggling in the middle and the dinosaurs chirping happily at him. He had the widest grin on his face when he emerged again, standing up.

Steve chuckled aloud at the display. "Protective, aren't they?" he asked. Dumee walked closer to him and squeaked at him, and Steve absently rubbed at the dinosaur's head.

"Don't even ask," Tony said, still smiling. "They worry when I'm away."

"I can't blame them. You just disappeared with no explanation, and we had no idea what was going on. I still don't know, for that matter," Steve said, more serious.

"The answer to that is why I brought you to the basement," Tony said. "Over here."

Tony led Steve to the nearest corner of the room, which seemed slightly better organized than the rest. Against the wall, arranged upright in some kind of an elaborate frame, were what resembled pieces of silvery plate armor, but with countless intricate details. The wires and gears were similar in design to what he'd seen in the other machines in the room.

"Is this Iron Man?" Steve asked, confused. If it was, then it seemed like the robot had been taken apart for the time being.

Tony had walked over to stand in front of the frame, his face still towards Steve. "Not exactly," he said, spread his arms, and stepped backwards, leaning into the armor.

Hissing and clanking, the frame began to move around Tony, with armor plates closing around his body. The small dinosaurs stepped closer, guiding some of the pieces to their places.

In a matter of minutes, Tony was covered in armor from head to toe. The sunstone shimmered in the middle of the armor's chestplate. As the helmet closed around Tony's face, it completely obscured his features, with only small openings for eyes, a bluish light glowing through them, and a grim, robotic-looking mouth. Steve could easily see how people would imagine this to be a machine.

Iron Man lifted one metallic hand to open the visor and to reveal Tony's face. Instead of the showy grin that Steve would've expected, Tony's expression was subdued, almost anxious. "That's the last of my secrets," he said. "Iron Man is me."

Tony hadn't just built some kind of a heroic robot to help people; it was a suit of armor with him inside, probably powered by that stone in his chest. If Steve had ever doubted Tony's integrity, wondered whether he was a good man, there was no clearer answer than this.

Steve stepped closer, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder. The armor seemed simultaneously ancient and futuristic: the plates called to mind a medieval knight, but the intricate technology Steve knew it contained seemed more advanced than anything he had seen before.

Enthralled, he ran his fingers along the cool metal surface. "This is incredible," he breathed.

"Not everyone would think so," Tony said ruefully. "Which is why I don't want anyone to know—at least they won't shun Iron Man just because of me."

"It's mind-boggling that anyone could have anything against this! You're using it for good, after all," Steve said.

"I do what I can." Tony pursed his lips, a haunted look flitting across his face. "I almost failed, this time. It was a close call. Four people almost died because I wasn't fast enough."

"But they didn't. You put your life at risk and saved them," Steve told him firmly. "And, I assume, got injured doing it."

"No one else had armor," Tony said. "I could take it."

While the metal was perfectly smooth over Tony's left arm, where Steve's hand still rested, the right shoulder was visibly dented, with scrapes here and there. Steve was glad it wasn't worse, but he still didn't like seeing the damage, and he liked Tony's nonchalant attitude even less. He could definitely understand the dinosaurs' protective behavior.

"I was worried, too, you know," Steve admitted. "And I missed you." He raised his hand to ghost his fingers over the bruise on Tony's cheek.

Tony shivered at the touch, his eyes blinking closed for a second, and Steve worried for a beat that he might recoil, but he didn't. Instead, he leaned ever so slightly towards Steve.

"I missed you, too," Tony said, his voice soft but intense.

Steve let his hand fall. They were standing so close to one another that Steve could feel Tony's halting breaths against his face. The clear blue of Tony's eyes reflected the sea-green in his chest, and they held a wealth of emotion: hesitation, but also affection, Steve was sure of it.

Slowly, as if expecting Steve to step away any second, Tony slid his armored hand to Steve's back. It felt surprisingly warm and oddly safe, a strong, solid weight pulling him even closer. There was no mistaking the gesture. This wasn't a supporting hand to keep him from falling over.

All the doubts and misgivings Steve had had seemed distant and insignificant in that moment; there was only one thing he wanted, and even without words, it was plain as day that Tony wanted the same thing.

Steve closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Tony's. Tony tilted his head, leaning into the kiss.

Somewhere in the background, the trio of dinosaurs made a sound that sounded suspiciously like cheering.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr post with Wren's cuuuuuuuuutest art can be found **[here](http://massivespacewren.tumblr.com/post/148153154518/banner-for-the-awesome-fic-living-fossils-in)** for sharing and squeeing! :D


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